Aerospace

The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency has set a record for the smallest-ever rocket to launch a satellite into orbit, using a SS-520 sounding rocket modified to include a third stage carrying a 13.6-inch TRICOM-1R cubesat as its payload. Read More >>

61-year-old stuntman and amateur Flat Earth theory researcher “Mad” Mike Hughes, who planned to launch himself in an untested homemade steam-powered rocket at 500 miles per hour over the Mojave Desert ghost town of Amboy, California on Saturday in some sort of gambit to prove the Earth is flat (spoilers: it’s not), will not be doing any of that that this weekend. Read More >>

61-year-old DIY enthusiast and stuntman “Mad” Mike Hughes is planning his first manned launch of a homemade, £16,000 steam-powered rocket with “RESEARCH FLAT EARTH” written on the side on Saturday, the Associated Press reported. Read More >>

A large grass fire triggered by a Russian rocket launch on Wednesday has killed one Kazakh man and hospitalised another. According to the AFP, pieces of the rocket fell to Earth after it launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome—the site where Sputnik 1 took off in 1957. Incredibly, the debris set off a fire that spread about 9.5 miles (15 kilometres) across. Read More >>

Over the last several months, SpaceX has been seriously diversifying its clientele: in May, it flew a spy satellite for the US National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). On Tuesday, the U.S. Air Force announced that in August, it’ll be launching a reusable X-37B mini-space shuttle on board a Falcon 9 rocket. While some of the details are still shrouded in mystery (because the military), the USAF said it will use the launch to test some electronics and oscillating heat pipes aboard the spacecraft. Fun times! Read More >>

It’s a big day for India and its very, very large rocket: Today, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched its 640 ton GSLV-Mk III rocket, carrying the GSAT-19 communications satellite on it. The GSLV-Mk III’s maiden voyage brought its satellite into a geosynchronous transfer orbit above Earth’s equator—a high Earth orbit that allows a satellite to sync up with Earth’s rotation. Needless to say, not to shabby for a first launch. Read More >>

Leland Melvin is a unicorn of a human being. He’s been drafted to the NFL, flown in the final frontier (twice), and now, written a book called Chasing Space. On the internet, the former NASA astronaut is best known for this unforgettable photo with his two dogs, Jake and Scout, who grace the cover of his new memoir. Gizmodo sat down with Melvin to talk about diversity in STEAM fields, education, and of course, Good Dogs in Space. Read More >>

The typical SpaceX payload might include a communications satellite, some ISS supplies, even the occasional spy network. But later this year, the aerospace company will embark on something quite a bit more endearing: a Falcon 9 rocket will carry the cremated remains of beloved family members into space. Read More >>

Google is in the business of you. That’s why it exists. Its phones, Homes, and wireless routers all exist to cull as much information about you as possible so that it can then use that info for (hopefully not evil) financial gain. If you have forgotten that Google exists to collate your entire life, then Google pointedly reminded you today with some new features for Google Photos. It introduced two new features to the Google Photos app that instantly makes it more obnoxious and more present in your life. Read More >>

Rockets are big, shiny hunks of metal that do extraordinary things — but you’d probably never call one “cute.” Kittens are cute. Capybaras? Definitely. But rockets, not so much — except for this little guy, from New Zealand-based startup Rocket Lab. Its name is Electron, and after years of preparation, its’s finally gearing up to launch as soon as next week. Read More >>

After a streak of successful launches, SpaceX is looking damn spiffy. While the best part of watching a SpaceX launch is arguably the last leg of the trip, when the Falcon 9 first stage attempts to land softly back on Earth, tonight, SpaceX will be doing something a little more complicated than its typical launch routine—and as a result, it won’t be trying to land at all. Read More >>